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Fearing coronavirus, Arizona man dies after taking a form of chloroquine used to treat aquariums

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Updated: 12:44 PM CDT Mar 24, 2020

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Why should we be testing it in a test tube for a year and 1/2 when we have thousands of people that are very sick, very, very sick, and we can use it on those people and maybe make them better and in some cases maybe saved their lives? President Trump says he's optimistic about some potential treatments for the novel Corona virus, in particular a malaria drug called Clara Quinn. You know, if this has been something that's been around for many years, it's been phenomenal, strong, powerful drug from malaria. But we think it might work on this based on evidence based on very strong evidence. It's true. The medication has been around for more than 80 years and has a few side effects, including nausea and mood changes, as well as possible interactions with other drugs. Now, enthusiasm for the possibility of treating the novel coronavirus largely centers on one study out of France, which used a derivative of Clara Quinn, used with an antibiotic commonly known as the Z Pak. The study was small and the patients were followed for only six days. The study that looked at that drug and showed activity was it was a study that involved about 20 patients and only six in the arm that showed the benefit. And the benefit that they showed was that they decreased the amount of virus in their in their noses when you did nasal swabs and those patients. So it could very well be that the drug is reducing viral shedding but having no impact on the clinical course of those patients. So the data on that is very preliminary. We took a closer look at the study, and here's what we found. There were originally 26 patients in the study who were treated. 20 completed the trial. One left the hospital before the trial ended. One couldn't tolerate the medication. Three went to the intensive care unit. That's an 11% critical care rate, and one died a 4% mortality rate. Now those numbers are higher critical care and mortality rates than the general population of infected. Keep in mind again, it's a small study. There was another study from 2011 which found that while Clara Quinn was effective in the lab against the flu, it ultimately wasn't effective in humans. Look, that's why trials are needed and they could be done quickly. Many labs in the World Health Organization had already started studying these drugs and dozens of others to help us find an answer for a disease that currently has no known cure. Using untested medicines without the right evidence could raise falls, hope and even do more harm, then good and cause a shortage of essential medicines that are needed to treat other diseases. And at the end of last week, Laura Quinn was added to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists Drug Shortage List.

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Fearing coronavirus, Arizona man dies after taking a form of chloroquine used to treat aquariums

A Phoenix-area man is dead and his wife is under critical care after the two took chloroquine phosphate in an apparent attempt to self-medicate for the novel coronavirus, according to hospital system Banner Health.It does not appear they took the pharmaceutical version of the drug, but rather "an additive commonly used at aquariums to clean fish tanks," Banner Health said in a statement.Though Banner did not provide additional details, NBC News spoke to the wife, who said they learned of chloroquine's connection to coronavirus during a President Donald Trump news conference, which "was on a lot actually.""I had (the substance) in the house because I used to have koi fish," she told the network.Trump has touted chloroquine as a possible treatment for COVID-19. It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but the FDA has not approved it to treat the coronavirus.Banner Health experts emphasized that the medication — as well as other "inappropriate medications and household products" — "should not be ingested to treat or prevent this virus.""Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus," Dr. Daniel Brooks, medical director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, said in the statement. "But self-medicating is not the way to do so."Seven years ago, the publication, Advanced Aquarist, heralded three forms of chloroquine as "a 'new' drug for treating fish diseases" and detailed its effectiveness in fighting off certain parasites in saltwater aquariums.One online aquarium retailer, which was sold out of "the wonder drug" Tuesday, included in its terms of use that customers agree to use chloroquine "ONLY in the treatment and maintenance of ornamental fish. ... We agree not to intentionally divert these chemicals for any other use."Banner Health, which is based in Arizona, didn't give any details on how the couple, both in their 60s, acquired the chloroquine or which Banner hospital treated them."Within thirty minutes of ingestion, the couple experienced immediate effects requiring admittance to a nearby Banner Health hospital," its statement said.Trump has called chloroquine and the closely related hydroxychloroquine potentially important in the fight against COVID-19."HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine," he tweeted Saturday.Early research suggests the drug could be useful against the virus, but Trump's comments have prompted health officials to warn that further study is needed.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has said the drugs may be effective against the novel coronavirus. However, he told CBS on Sunday that Trump had heard about the hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination's effectiveness from anecdotal reports."I'm not disagreeing with the fact anecdotally they might work, but my job is to prove definitively from a scientific standpoint that they do work," said Fauci, who serves on the White House coronavirus task force. In Nigeria, health officials issued a warning about chloroquine, saying three people in the country have overdosed on the drug after Trump endorsed it as a potential treatment.Banner Health said it is "strongly urging" health care providers not to prescribe chloroquine to patients who aren't hospitalized."The last thing that we want right now is to inundate our emergency departments with patients who believe they found a vague and risky solution that could potentially jeopardize their health," Brooks said.

A Phoenix-area man is dead and his wife is under critical care after the two took chloroquine phosphate in an apparent attempt to self-medicate for the novel coronavirus, according to hospital system Banner Health.

It does not appear they took the pharmaceutical version of the drug, but rather "an additive commonly used at aquariums to clean fish tanks," Banner Health said in a statement.

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Though Banner did not provide additional details, NBC News spoke to the wife, who said they learned of chloroquine's connection to coronavirus during a President Donald Trump news conference, which "was on a lot actually."

"I had (the substance) in the house because I used to have koi fish," she told the network.

Trump has touted chloroquine as a possible treatment for COVID-19. It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but the FDA has not approved it to treat the coronavirus.

Banner Health experts emphasized that the medication — as well as other "inappropriate medications and household products" — "should not be ingested to treat or prevent this virus."

"Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus," Dr. Daniel Brooks, medical director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, said in the statement. "But self-medicating is not the way to do so."

Seven years ago, the publication, Advanced Aquarist, heralded three forms of chloroquine as "a 'new' drug for treating fish diseases" and detailed its effectiveness in fighting off certain parasites in saltwater aquariums.

One online aquarium retailer, which was sold out of "the wonder drug" Tuesday, included in its terms of use that customers agree to use chloroquine "ONLY in the treatment and maintenance of ornamental fish. ... We agree not to intentionally divert these chemicals for any other use."

Banner Health, which is based in Arizona, didn't give any details on how the couple, both in their 60s, acquired the chloroquine or which Banner hospital treated them.

Trump has called chloroquine and the closely related hydroxychloroquine potentially important in the fight against COVID-19.

"HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine," he tweeted Saturday.

Early research suggests the drug could be useful against the virus, but Trump's comments have prompted health officials to warn that further study is needed.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has said the drugs may be effective against the novel coronavirus. However, he told CBS on Sunday that Trump had heard about the hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination's effectiveness from anecdotal reports.

"I'm not disagreeing with the fact anecdotally they might work, but my job is to prove definitively from a scientific standpoint that they do work," said Fauci, who serves on the White House coronavirus task force.

In Nigeria, health officials issued a warning about chloroquine, saying three people in the country have overdosed on the drug after Trump endorsed it as a potential treatment.

Banner Health said it is "strongly urging" health care providers not to prescribe chloroquine to patients who aren't hospitalized.

"The last thing that we want right now is to inundate our emergency departments with patients who believe they found a vague and risky solution that could potentially jeopardize their health," Brooks said.